The Government of Gambia, through the Ministry of Agriculture and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), on Tuesday launched an emergency relief package to provide food assistance to 342,000 people (42,750 households) across all regions as part of the national COVID-19 response.
A statement made available said each household will receive a 50kg bag of Rice per month for four months (February to May).
According to the statement this assistance comes at a time when the country is witnessing a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the food and nutrition security status of the most vulnerable.
The statement pointed out that the Government and WFP seek to protect livelihoods and cushion vulnerable households from hunger, allowing for faster rebound from the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and promote the consumption of nutritious diets.
“The Ministry of Agriculture with support from the Government and partners is ever committed today than ever to provide food assistance to vulnerable farmers and build their resilience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and negative impacts of climate change,” Amie Fabureh, Minister of Agriculture said.
The assistance will prioritise families with less than four months of food stock, surviving on daily wages with no regular income or remittances; households with malnourished children and chronically ill individuals, and women-headed or elderly headed households.
“WFP support complements Government efforts to ensure continued provision of food assistance for the most vulnerable people in The Gambia as measures to help contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic affect livelihoods; limiting access to food,” said the WFP Representative and Country Director, Mr. Yasuhiro Tsumura.
